On March 29, 2025, the Elizabethtown College men’s lacrosse team clashed against the nationally ranked Stevenson University Mustangs at Etown’s Wolf Field. The game occurred late into the evening, as windy weather and a setting sun blanketed the area. 

The Jays gained a slight lead towards the start of the match. Despite an initial tumble, Etown immediately forced play near Stevenson’s goal. Stevenson felt the pressure and worked together to launch the ball out of bounds to avoid Etown scoring. The Blue Jays retaliated, again shifting play towards Stevenson’s goal and allowing  sophomore Reese Levinson to score the first goal of the match roughly a minute and 30 seconds in. 

As the match developed, both teams fought each other with ferocity.  Several players frequently clashed to scoop up the ball with clacking sticks echoing through the field. Later in the first quarter, Blue Jays graduate student Joel Maragoto tried to save a ball from going out of bounds due to Stevenson’s efforts by sliding, but to no avail.

Throughout these back-and-forth tussles, the Blue Jays held a slight advantage. Whenever they moved play toward the opponent’s goal, they expertly cooperated by passing the ball back and forth to pinpoint a weakness in Stevenson’s defense. Both teams also frequently and effectively capitalized on the others’ mistakes, like graduate student Lucca Scomillio stealing the ball away from Stevenson about halfway through the first quarter, only to run into the other team’s iron defense. 

Plays like this continued throughout the first half of the game. By the end of the first quarter, both teams only scored a combined total of three points, all occurring within the first seven minutes. The Mustangs only led thanks to Stevenson seniors Grant Zick and Dillon Linhardt’s efforts and the team’s overall defense. By the end of the second quarter, the game moved into halftime with a tie between both teams.

A significant turnaround would not occur until the third quarter, in which the Blue Jays found their groove. Sophomore Finn Kristan scored the first goal of the third quarter in only seven seconds, starting a trend for this portion of the match. The Jays scored goal after goal, refusing to back down and exploiting key weaknesses in Stevenson’s defenses. The crowd erupted with cheers loud enough to potentially hear across the campus as the Jays bowled over the Mustangs.

Stevenson could not keep up with the aggressive plays from Elizabethtown during their winning streak. The Mustangs could only score once during the entire quarter, as Stevenson sophomore Darrell Curtis broke Etown’s combo with one second left on the clock. Etown turned a tie into an impressive five-point lead, nearly making their victory inevitable. 

And then the Mustangs suddenly turned the tables on the Blue Jays.

Despite some initial goals from the Blue Jays, Stevenson dominated the fourth quarter with a massive comeback. Suddenly, they scored goal after goal, slowly decreasing the distance between them and Elizabethtown. With roughly three minutes left in the match, a goal from Stevenson sophomore Gavin Gossen tied the game by establishing a score of 11-11. Miraculously, the Mustangs turned a near-defeat into a close match.

Elizabethtown’s defenses suffered from two fatal mistakes during these last three minutes. The Blue Jays received two penalties during this crucial time in the game, opening them up for two more goals from Stevenson. While they scored one more goal before the match ended, the game ended in favor of Stevenson with a score of 12-13. 

The men’s lacrosse team will next take on Moravian University at 4 p.m. on April 9 on their home turf.